There would have been no American Bicentennial in 1976 without Philadelphia. Similarly, there will be no bimillennial in 2000 without the city of Bethlehem.

Unfortunately since February, the twin terrors of suicide bombings and arbitrary closures in the Holy Land now threaten to cripple Bethlehem's ability to prepare for the year 2000. This issue of "Let's Talk 2000" looks at this threat and what people of good will everywhere can do to support the peace process.

Also, a week from today is Earth Day. In anticipation of the new millennium, the founder of Earth Day, who is still going strong at age 81, spoke out recently on the future of this holiday.

For those joining us as new subscribers, besides this bi-weekly bulletin, there is also a daily discussion forum, "Talk 2000." Rather than just two pages each two weeks, you can interact every day with an electronic townhall on turn of the millennium issues. For more information on how to subscribe, write talk2000@rmii.com, and ask for "Talk 2000 Invitation."

News from the Field: "Here is the latest news on year 2000 efforts".

BETHLEHEM 2000 THREATENEDBethlehem, West Bank (MECC)--As the city of Bethlehem looks to celebrate the year 2000, it finds itself locked in a struggle to keep the very ground on which the angels once sang, "Peace on earth, goodwill toward men."

Under the banner of "Yes to peace, No to Land Confiscation," more than 1,000 people marched on April 6th from Bethlehem's historic Manger Square to the Shepherd's Field region to protest Israeli bulldozers which have started to carve out a northern military perimeter road on 2,000 acres of private Palestinian land.

Hanan Ashrawi, prominent spokeswoman on human rights, assured the people of Bethlehem that all Palestinians recognize that the creation of this military road and the illegal Jewish settlement known as Har Homa will be a clear indication that Israel does not want the peace process to move forward.

Ashrawi's words were echoed by Michael Warschawski, well-known Israeli peace activist and director of Jerusalem's Alternative Information Center, who said, "We cannot have peace and settlements. We cannot have peace and continued closures, we cannot have peace without justice."

Warschawski predicted that "the success of the peace process, or its total failure, will depend on what happens on this ground." He also said that the struggle will not be won by Palestinians alone, or by Israelis alone, but by all who struggle for a just peace."

In the last three weeks, Bethlehem tourist officials have issued repeated warnings that unless these illegal seizures of land are stopped, further investments in the tourism infrastructure of Bethlehem could be deterred as the city prepares to celebrate Christ's 2,000th anniversary from 1999 to 2001. Source: mbailey@cc.huji.ac.il

Letters of objection to the illegal Har Homa settlement in the Shepherd's Field may be written to U.S. and Israeli officials:

EARTH DAY FOUNDER LOOKS TOWARD 2000
John McConnell, the man who started Earth Day, recently spoke out about the ideals behind its inception in 1970 and its vision towards 2000 and beyond:

"The idea of Earth Day was to have one global holiday that could be shared by the whole human family. We have diverse cultures and creeds, but we only have one Earth. And we're one human family.

"We are asking every individual and institution to think and act as Trustees of Earth. That means in ecology, economics and ethics we're making the choices that will provide a sustainable future. We know that we are approaching a new millennium. All kind of grand plans are being made.

"If we get global participationin the Earth Days between now and 2000, I believe we will enter the new millennium with light at the end of the tunnel, with a new future that will inspire." Source: http://www.earthsite.org/index.html

New Millennial Sites:"Here are new sites in cyberspace"

MILLENNIUM MIDNIGHT:"A global celebration of art"
If folks in Paris and Montreal have their way, artists across the world will clock the millennium midnight in each of the 24 time zones by sharing art work with others on the Internet.http://panda.cnam.fr/projetMM/MMeng01.html

"STRANGE DAYS" ON VIDEO
Strange Days, the dark-techno film about the last night of the last year of this century has hit the small screen, as of April 2nd. Check your local video store to rent it or this web site for video clips, interactive kits, sound bits, poster photos and production notes. http://www.hollywood.com/movies/strange/bsstrange.html

MILLENNIUM INSTITUTE NEWS
Continuing its work to make the year 2000 the threshold to a sustainable future, the Millennium Institute of Arlington, Va. has launched a monthly newsletter.http://www.igc.apc.org/millennium/news